


Cutting-edge Comfort

by notaverse



Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-31
Updated: 2015-12-31
Packaged: 2018-05-10 16:23:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5593012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notaverse/pseuds/notaverse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It should be terrifying when Madara catches him in mid-air, or swoops down to pluck him out of harm's way, holding Natsume in that giant mouth.</p>
<p>And yet...</p>
<p>He's as safe in Madara's mouth as in his own bed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cutting-edge Comfort

**Author's Note:**

  * For [threewalls](https://archiveofourown.org/users/threewalls/gifts).



> A little bit of fluff for my beta, because nursing cat is a thing and Natsume fits very nicely in Madara's mouth.

Natsume's used to hearing that he'd make an excellent snack for any passing youkai. He's received countless threats on the subject - even from those youkai he considers friends - and really, he's stopped paying attention. Anyone who tries to make good on such a threat is going to get a punch in the face, preferably in the teeth.

Anyone except Nyanko-sensei.

Natsume's self-proclaimed bodyguard cuts a ridiculous figure in his lucky cat guise: a plump, gluttonous fluffball who plays like a cat and drinks like a fish. It's hard to take him seriously when he suggests he should simply eat Natsume and take the Book of Friends for himself. Though he's certainly capable of putting away a great deal more than his tiny body can hold, there's no way he can devour Natsume just like that, no matter how many times he refers to Natsume as his 'emergency rations' or 'dessert'.

Nyanko-sensei's true form, however... Madara's a different story. The inugami's body is all tail and teeth, strong and solid despite being a spirit. Natsume's seen him eat youkai before, seen him snap his powerful jaws shut around anyone who dares to threaten the prey he's claimed for himself. It's a last resort, and sometimes a necessary one. Natsume's not his grandmother, despite what almost every youkai he's ever met has said upon meeting him for the first time, and he still has a lot to learn about dealing with them. Nyanko-sensei may get him into trouble more often than a bodyguard should, but he also keeps him safe.

Some of it's down to pride. Some of it's down to possessiveness, because of course no one else is allowed to have Natsume. Some of it, Natsume's pretty sure by now, is down to genuine - if grudgingly admitted - affection. It's not in what Nyanko-sensei _says_ , because that tends to be a mix of insults and demands for food, but in what he _does_. When Natsume's sick, Nyanko-sensei fusses over him with damp washcloths and helps make him comfortable with a surprising amount of dexterity for a cat. When he's upset or worried, Nyanko-sensei's right there with him, even in the bath, to offer guidance - or at least helpful mocking.

And most nights, Nyanko-sensei's there too, even if he's been out drinking and comes back making even more outrageous claims about his own prowess than usual. No one's ever wanted to share a bed with Natsume before. No one's even suggested it, not in all the houses he's lived in. Not that Nyanko-sensei suggests anything. He merely settles himself under the blanket beside Natsume without so much as a by your leave, assuming that he has a right to a place in Natsume's bed as he has a right to the rest of the house, and to Natsume himself.

It's comforting, having him there. There are worse things to share one's bed with than a solid ball of fluff. When Natsume's cold, he presses himself closer to his cat, enjoying warm, fuzzy snuggles that Nyanko-sensei pretends he's not enjoying too. Natsume's nice enough to let him save face. That means ignoring the soft noises of contentment that reverberate against his skin, as genuine as those made by any real cat and far more amusing when Natsume thinks how big Nyanko-sensei's true form is, what kind of sounds might be produced by such a massive creature.

It also means ignoring the way Nyanko-sensei's sharp, tiny teeth nibble the tips of Natsume's fingers when he lets them drift too close to a mouth searching sleepily for sweets. Those same tiny teeth are often plunged into the heads of unsuspecting youkai, but Natsume knows they won't hurt him. He's had far worse from youkai wishing him harm - not to mention, from human children who have found him creepy - and the steady, rhythmic gnawing is almost gentle in comparison. It's a physical reminder of the companionship he now has - of a life he never thought he could have.

He's felt the prickle of much larger teeth too. It should be terrifying when Madara catches him in mid-air, or swoops down to pluck him out of harm's way, holding Natsume in that giant mouth.

It ought to have him wondering if he's seen his last sunrise, if his bodyguard finally means to make good on his threats. 

And yet...

He's as safe in Madara's mouth as in his own bed. (Safer, probably, given the number of youkai who accost him in his bedroom.) Such sharp, dangerous teeth were never meant to cradle a human body. Somehow Natsume fits without being crushed, his limbs sliding naturally into place, grazed only lightly by teeth that seek to protect him rather than destroy him. He's securely held, but he knows that even if something should cause Madara to drop him, he'll fall for no more than a heartbeat before he's caught again. 

A cat might play with a mouse before it pounces. A human might fatten up a pig for the slaughter. A youkai might chase its prey halfway across the country to let the growing fear add a little spice to its meal. 

But there's no creature, youkai or otherwise, that would cradle someone so gently in what amounts to a cavern of knives, taking such great care to leave them unscathed, and then swallow them down. Nyanko-sensei could consume Natsume easily, in his true form - but Natsume knows he won't.


End file.
